100 THINGS SUCCESSFUL LEADERS DO

'Some people spend their entire lives looking to be leaders. For others, Leadership is thrust on them even when it's the last thing they're looking for.' Think about a time you've accepted leadership responsibility. What made you agree to it and would you be willing to take on that responsibility again? Changes are that you accept the role because of a combination of reasons, some of which come from external factors, like the situations you face or pressure from other people, pulling you to take charge. When coaching experienced leaders, I ask them why they become leaders and many of their replies will resonate with you. Reasons pushing you: * I like to be in charge. * I hate passively doing nothing. * I don't enjoy being led by others. * Somebody had to do it. * I wanted a higher salary, so I accepted the leadership opportunity. * As the eldest sibling, I have always been a leader. * I can't stand taking orders. * I love helping other people. * I want to make changes and felt this was possible through leading. Reasons pulling you: * Nobody else was leading the project, so I stepped in. * My senior colleagues pleaded with me to apply for the vacant management position. * As a woman, I was encouraged to take on the role as part of a gender diversity drive. * I was under a lot of peer pressure. * I had no choice as I was the only suitable person. * I wanted to say 'no' but was afraid to turn down the promotion. To be a successful leader, you have to understand why you've taken on leadership responsibility. You may not like the reason, it might have been all pull and no push, but by properly understanding your motivations, you can more successfully decide how you'll take on and excel in a leadership role. Are you a natural leader or follower? Either way, you may need to adjust your natural instincts to get the best out of yourself. Control the obsessive need to lead The things that push you to want to lead are your internal drivers made up of your personality, ego, motivations and inner needs. If you always feel compelled to take the lead, it can indicate that you're an ambitious person who will always step up when the opportunity arises, but it's always a good thing. This impulse can lead you to take on leadership responsibilities before you're ready or capable. You risk failing simply because you weren't willing to wait until you had more experience. Overcome the reluctance to lead You may face the opposite problem and have no wish to lead and no inclination to stand out. That's fine as long as you manage to avoid leadership roles, but a beige problem when you have responsibility thrust on you . It's never a good idea to wait until you've been pushed into the swimming pool before learning to swim, so take the opportunity to read up on topics that you're not so comfortable with in advice, and make a decision to be more assertive in overcoming your worries. Don't be bullied into accepting roles Even the best leaders say no to new tasks and responsibilities now and again. For sure, there can be persuasive pull factors involved, but never be afraid to upset other people who are pushing you. Decide whether you feel ready and whether you want the additional responsibilities and accompanying recognition before accepting anything.